The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1887-06-24
is THE TASTE FOR WHISKY DEcLlN-
ING?

Before the war the common
drink throughout the south was
brandy, imported cognac. After
the war the high duty on import
ed spirits combined with the re-
dueed financial condition of the
southern people to make brandy
too expensive, and it has gone
out OF common use as beverage,
its place being taken by whisky.
Whisky being also enormously
taxed by the United States
government, which raises many
millions of revenue on domestic
distilled spirits, was too expensive
for common use. and as conse.
quence the skill of the chemist
has been called into requlsition to
concoct cheaper beverages which
will heat up the stomach and in
ebriate the brain. The result Is
that an incalculable quantity of
factitious liquors, more or less
poisonous, aud which never came
out of still and contains but lit
tie of spirituous properties, has
gone into popular consumption.
There is no decrease in the drink
ing of what IS called whisky, but
much of 1t is the counterfeit poi
son stuff. and as a consequence
there is a sensible decrease in the
consumption of real whisky.
The news comes now that the
dlstillers Of Kentucky have enter
ed into a compact to close their
establishments after July l for
one year, under forfeiture of
twenty cents for each gallon Of
whisky manufactured during the
period under agreement Nea ly
all the dlstiIlcrs in the state
of any impor tance have
signed the contract, and it is be-
lieved that the "combine will be
successfully carried out, The OBJ
ject of this movement, which has
been attempted many times pre-
vIously, is TO reduce the immense
overstock of Kentucky whisky
and harden the price
1t Is stated that the present
stock of whisky sin bond'' N the
Kentucky warehouses is az, 2,7O4,- :
8S3 gallons, which is an increase
of about a million gallons during
the past month. The monthly
output of whisky in the. Blue
Grass state is about two and a
quarter million gallons. In the
United States to-day there are
Ga, 100000 gallons of whisky in
government bonded warehouses
awaiting the pay mcnt Of tax and
withdrawal, besides a large guam
tity in the hands OF dealers.
We would be glad to believe
that the consumption of ardent
spirits has steadily decreased to
bring about such a result, but the
indications do not show this.
There seems to be no reduction
in the amount Of alleged whisky
handed over the counters of the
almost innumeraole barrooms and
places where liquors are sold, but
il must be obvious that the cheap
fluids dispensed and consumed
could never have passed through
the government whisky tax mill.
Nor is any of it illicit or ..moon-
shine" liquor, but simply a sub
stance compounded for the pur-
pose.
The government unfortunately
does not concern itself with the
Iprotection of the people agalnsI
poisonous drinks. 1t is only So
licitous to collect its tax. After
that the adulterators may work
their will on a helpless popuIace
The government should either
repeal the tax which encourage:
the arts of the poisoner, or il
should institute protective meas.
ures to insure the purity of th,
liquors consumed. If whisky be
an evil how vastly multiplied il
the curse which comes from tn,
widespread consumption of poi
sonous limitations of it. Pure Ii
quor is harmless in comparison
- N. O. Picayune.